The Trials of Paradise
by brookiebee4
Summary: Betrayed. When Anamika gives birth to a child that's not his, Kishan is racked with devastation, and the father of Anaminka's child sees to Kishan's new place in Hell.. However, by some miracle, Kishan escapes, and in the process, throws college student Nora Oakes into a race to free Kishan from his immortality. With all the gods against them, will they ever free Kishan?
1. Prologue

The trumpets rang through every inch of Kailasa, but their joyful tidings only sent shivers through Kishan's spine. The great tiger watched over the city of crystal with his golden eyes as he always did when he was swathed in regret. He could never forget the day when he'd abandoned his brother to allow Ren to return to the 21st century. He could never forget the day when he'd written a letter promising he was fine, that everything was fine, that he'd fallen in love with Anamika as she changed into the goddess Durga.

Kishan took great care not to mention the challenges that came from the other gods in his letter, specifically Shiva and his quiet love for Durga. He stretched out on the marble floor, yawning. If anything, he couldn't hate Shiva for stealing Durga's affections as Lord Shiva had been kind enough to allow Kishan to live in Kailasa even after Durga was gifted with a new mount: Sarim, the lion prince. There were months on end where Kishan loathed the city of white stone, it was more of a prison than a paradise.

The constant blaring could only mean one thing, Durga had given birth to a son.

And it wasn't Kishan's.

Suddenly, Kishan sprang up, the marble floor cool on the tender pads of his large paws. He silently padded across his lush sleeping chamber to the tall bronze mirror that rested near his balcony, covered by a plain white sheet. With his teeth, Kishan pulled the sheet down, though the dust particles made him sneeze. He sat before the mirror.

Time didn't exist in Kailasa, but there were days when the human part of Kishan reminded him of the things he'd seen. He'd watch his brother suffer from a heart attack, and watched as those he loved died and moved on into the afterlife without him. The mirror had been a gift of pity from the Deva Lakshmi, who strangely avoided living near the other gods. She had held her strange tattooed hands over her eyes, and whispered that someday Kishan would have good fortune.

Today was certainly not that day.

'I wish to see my brother.'

The mirror began to fog up as if a storm had suddenly came to rest on the surface. After a moment, the clouded surface began to swirl, eventually becoming a vortex sparking with power. The mirror cleared, and Kishan exhaled.

Before him, the mirror displayed a sunshine filled park in what he assumed to be London. Kelsey and Ren sat cuddled up next to each other as they watched their son, Anik, clamber over a seesaw. A toddler in pigtails and an Elena of Avalor t-shirt sucked on her thumb as she tried to follow her big brother. Deschen Rajaram was far shyer than her outgoing brother. Kishan's heart swelled with regret, envy, and remorse.

Did Ren even miss him?

Kishan swiped at the mirror, and the image instantly dissipated. Seeing his family was far too lonely. There was no family for him on Kailasa, only the constant fear of falling out of favor. Had he been permitted to take on his form as a man, Kishan might've wept. Oh how very fall he had fallen. He longed for a moment to himself, to be alone, or at least with his brother.

As is with all deities, they rarely are ever alone. The day Kishan and Anamika met Lord Shiva and the other Devas was seared onto Kishan's very soul, but he couldn't allow himself to think of the terror Shiva the Destroyer had instilled in him. If he thought too long about Shiva, he became angry. Especially over the fact that Lord Shiva had wooed Kishan's 'wife' into leaving him... And enforced the law of isolation: no Deva could leave Mount Kailash unless he permitted them to.

The circular crystal door to Kishan's chambers opened, and in came Vishnu, the pale blue god with 4 arms and the only one to understand how much losing Anamika had hurt Kishan. Kishan stalked away from the bronze mirror to greet Vishnu.

'Welcome, Preserver.'

"I hope you do not mind my intrusion, Damon," Vishnu clasped one pair of arms behind his back as he bowed to Kishan respectfully. "I realize you may have wanted some company before..."

'Before Shiva sends for me and I become a plaything for when he wishes to inflict pain on someone?' Kishan shot back, his golden eyes blazing. He could not speak, after all, he was a tiger at the moment,but he could still think and form words. That was how he communicated.

The blue god's face fell, "You do not know if Shiva will do that to you."

But both gods knew Shiva had no intention to keep Kishan anywhere near Durga and their newborn son. Shiva the Destroyer was too unpredictable.

Kishan shook his mighty head, 'I do not want to be a part of this any longer.'

Vishnu didn't voice any more words of comfort; both gods remained standing in silence until Kishan broke his gaze and stared out at the lush jungles surrounding Kailasa.

To the naked eye, Mount Kailash was covered in snow and seemingly barren, but at Kailash's peak, the city of the gods proudly watched over the people of Asia in a jungle paradise. The palace of Kailasa surpassed the beauty of the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in Delhi. The palace was made of the purest crystalline stone, and many of the homes of the lesser gods were similarly made of crystal. Anything the Deva wanted, the Deva created. Luxurious rugs were scattered about the palace, and it seemed like every major god in the palace had several tapestries dedicated in their honor.

Sometimes Kishan felt sick watching the people of India starve to death as the Devas lived in isolated luxury. The people counted on them for blessings to receive maybe a small act of kindness here or there. The gods had too much power.

But even the Devas had their rules set in stone. Several gods had boons, something that may have been beneficial, but more often than naught turned out to be a flaw in their cosmic strength.

Kishan's boon had once seemed like it would be of great assistance to him, as he had fought long and hard with the demon king Yama during the first years as a companion to Anamika.. He would never have to fear another moment of pain unless his bride mothered a child with the head of an elephant. Of course, this fear had led to Kishan going to great lengths to avoid accidentally getting Anamika pregnant... But destiny has a way of surpassing all odds to dominate one's fate.

Anamika had gotten pregnant by Shiva the Destroyer, who'd made her his bride.

She'd abandoned their children for the Destroyer.

Another god cleared his throat behind Vishnu, and in stepped Shiva dressed in the finery of celebration. He was flanked by his mount, Nandi, and the snake Sensha. Kishan held his head higher as Shiva stepped past Vishnu, "Greetings, tiger."

'Greetings, Destroyer.' Kishan bowed his head in submissive respect.

"Anamika has brought forth a son, my son," Shiva declared, as if Kishan hadn't already inferred that. "Are you not joyous?"

Kishan promised he was happy for Shiva and his wife, though he was tired, and couldn't find the strength to display his true feelings of pure joy. He'd gained many skills in protecting his inner thoughts from the pryings of his fellow gods. 'I trust you to care for the child, as I am expected to join Durga's side. I am her consort, after all.'

If a blue man's skin could drain of color, Vishnu's features certainly paled. Kishan's ears twitched, there was something neither god was telling him. The blue god clasped his four hands behind his back and kept his head bowed as Shiva solemnly brought forth the news.

"Ganesha has the head of an elephant."

There had seemingly been nothing that could compare to the anguish Kishan had felt when he chose to let Kelsey go... But Lord Shiva's declaration made Kishan's chest tighten and feel as if his heart was caving in. Durga had mothered an elephant headed child that wasn't even his. The protective boon Kishan carried so proudly had vanished, the protective layer was slowly vanishing into thin air. Kishan didn't know what pain he would experience first, but he dreaded its coming.

Of all the pain Kishan could have felt, the first was the horrific realization that Anamika had left him for Lord Shiva, and had carried Shiva's child. She'd betrayed him, just as Yesubai had... And in a way... Just as Kelsey Hayes had.

Not a single shred of emotion crossed Kishan's furry face. He'd forgotten he was used to such betrayal. Kishan was the unwanted brother, always the second choice.

Unwillingly, a mournful growl left Kishan's chest. The doors to his balcony room had long since blown open, and a chill jungle breeze began to ruffle his fur.

Shiva cleared his throat, and stroked his well trimmed beard. His voice dripped with victory, "I think you have forgotten that you are not Durga's consort, that title goes to me. You, tiger, are a lowly concubine. I'm only sorry that it's taken you so long to realize it."

'I am too.' Despite the devastating blow of betrayal, Kishan forced himself to stand tall. He flicked his tail from side to side, where would he go? He was nothing more than a lesser god unwanted in every corner of the earth. There was nothing for him in Kailasa, not unless he wanted to watch Durga raise the beast that had stripped Kishan of his protection from pain.

"The child has received a boon," Shiva continued. He held up his hand, and motioned for Nandi to come forwards. The bull headed man held a thick, golden collar in his hands. Kishan held perfectly still as Nandi clasped it around his neck. There was no use in fighting Shiva the Destroyer with no protection and no Ren to come to Kishan's side and save him. "As you know, I cannot reveal the details and risk you murdering my child. But you are from henceforth banished from this holy place, exiled from the Earth. I never thought of you as an enemy."

Kishan looked up at Shiva, staring the god in the eyes, 'You don't have to do this.'

There was no stopping Shiva, he held up one of his hands, the one with the eerie eye in his palm. "Damon Anirbana ... By the power of the cosmos, I hereby banish you to the farthest reaches of Naraka. The fiery whips of Yama shall cut your skin, and never shall you be free from this hell."

Shiva snapped his fingers and black smoke flooded the room from every side. Fire began biting at Kishan's tail. He jumped up with a yelp. Smoke began to flood his lungs; Vishnu, Shiva, and the others were nowhere in sight. Kishan's fur began melting off his body, leaving patches of his skin stinging.

An unfamiliar sound began pounding against his head, some sort of screaming roar. His skin was on fire. Crazed by the sudden pain, Kishan began swiping at his body, his paws wet with blood each time he managed to pull some of his burning fur off of his body. The burning stopped as quickly as it came, Kishan heaved in the ash filled air, blood and sweat drenching his body.

He held up what he thought was a paw, but instead saw his callused hands. Kishan's knees began to complain, no longer was he trapped in the form of a tiger. The smoke began to fade away, but the darkness didn't. Kishan stood up, doing his best just to tell where exactly he was. There was no way he'd truly been exiled Naraka, the hell all sinners went to. Anamika would never allow Shiva to get away with this, or so Kishan hoped..

But Kishan's name was no longer Kishan, he was someone new now. The only thing keeping him from slipping away into oblivion was how firmly he clutched onto the name's his mother had given him eons ago. Damon the Deva, specifically the forgotten Deva. His supposed last love had seemingly forgotten him, considering that she was allowing Kishan to be literally banished to hell. The only person who had ever truly loved him was his mother. She would've protected Kishan. He hoped Naraka's demon king was in a merciful mood.

But there was to be no mercy for him. Anamika, that headstrong young woman was dead now, replaced only by her godly persona. She'd lost her name too, and became the queen of the Devas, becoming one of the three women who'd shattered Kishan's heart.

Solitude had always been a form of punishment to him.

The heat returned, and Kishan's eyes adjusted. Finally he could make out some of the details of Naraka... And it was every part of fiery dark hell anybody had ever imagined... But as far as Kishan knew, he was completely alone.

Kishan blinked rapidly as bright red light flooded his sight, from past adventures, he doubted the sudden light meant anything good. He took a step back the moment a figure seemed to form in the light, and sure enough, Yama the god of death had come to great him. In his hand, Yama held a spear.

Everything about the demon was unholy. Yama's skin was blacker than soot, and his eyes a dripping red. A crown of fire clung to Yama's head, and around his neck he wore a wreath of skulls. Bloody fangs protruded from his lower lip. Kishan vaguely remembered Ren attempting to frighten him with stories of Yama. Now that he was alone and powerless, Kishan could finally know why so many feared Yama the demon king.

There was no speaking between the two, and for that, Kishan was grateful. He doubted he could've withstood Yama's tauntings. Kishan only wished to suffer in peace for a reason he didn't even understand.

"Naraka is forever," Yama hissed, respectfully bowing before Kishan.

And then the demon king plunged his mighty spear into Kishan's chest.


	2. Chapter 1

"Where'd all the damn pop tarts go?!"

If I hadn't drenched my face in halloween makeup, I would have scowled hard enough to make the already spoiled milk in our fridge curdle into cottage cheese. Travis, my boyfriend, knew of all people that yelling in our little apartment was pointless, especially when I was sitting on the floor of our bedroom... which was next to the small kitchenette and its supposedly pop tart-less cabinets. I shut my eyes, inhaled, and tried to think of a rational way to explain that I'd eaten them all.

While I loved Travis, I didn't love that he never put an effort into his appearance, even when we were supposed to be going out. I peered at myself in my small mirror and continued my attempt at drawing a sugar skull design on my face, "I don't know."

He slammed the cabinet door shut and stomped into our small room. With the gusto of a Disney princess, Travis flung himself onto our bed, audibly groaning. I chose to ignore him.

I was lucky to have found Travis, even luckier that he loved me despite my seemingly old soul. He'd been patient when I'd struggled through my college midterms, even offering to help make flash cards.. He'd made the flashcards, and as usual, I procrastinated my studying the night before. Living with Travis was a chore sometimes, I was a slob, and he liked everything to be meticulously organized. We had an unspoken agreement that I was to clean the front room and cook while he kept things organized and paid for practically everything. There were perks to dating a nurse. Perks like he had a substantial job while I slaved away as an assistant to the ballet teacher at the local dance studio at $15 an hour... which would've been great if I worked more than 4 hours a week.

"You look nice," Travis said without looking up, his red hair clashed with the baby pink comforter on the bed. Another perk of dating and living with a nurse: I got to decorate with items purchased from Ross.

"Thank you," I smiled reaching for the false eyelashes I'd reused since the 4th of July party we'd been invited to. I peeled them apart and tried not to notice that they stuck together because of the eyeliner residue on them. "Are you going to dress up?"

The sheets rustled as Travis shifted, "Probably not, doesn't mean you shouldn't."

Travis was the one with all the popular friends, I was buddies with the other engineering majors, a.k.a the other nerds. Travis was a likeable guy, and he'd been lifelong friends with Caleb Baker, Arizona State's star volleyball player. The season was coming to an end, and Caleb was determined to celebrate it with a huge halloween party. He'd gotten a venue and everything. Supposedly there would be a live band. Travis had been one of the first people invited, which meant I'd get to come along too.

Curling my hair took much shorter than I'd planned, though the bouncing curls showed off my faded baby pink underlights. I looked like I'd colored parts of my hair with a cheap highlighter and tried to wash it out. It wasn't like there was much more I could have done. I put my beauty supplies away, careful to avoid the mirror so I didn't want to change my face last minute, and stretched. Travis was snoring, why do men fall asleep so quickly?

I put on the rest of my costume, complete with a pair of tall black wedges to match my black dress. The gown was partially loose, and the skirt came past my knees, but the frumpy style made me comfortable in the way I looked. And I knew I'd stand out in a crowd filled with skimpy vampire queen dresses.

Despite my best efforts to wake him, Travis remained asleep. Until, that is, I began to poke his side. Travis jerked awake, his red hair standing on edge. He grinned at me, "Well that's cute."

"Can we go now?" I chuckled, shoving him. The clock on the floor read 9:47, and the night sky was covered in clouds, perfect fall weather. We were late enough. We were always late to things.

Travis announced that he needed to brush his teeth, which was understandable. He didn't bother changing out of his t-shirt, but thankfully he did pull on a flannel to spruce his modest outfit up. Ten minutes later we were pulling out of the apartment garage and speeding along main street to the Clayton on the Park. Travis kept his hand on my knee was we sat in his small prius.

It was still 70 degrees outside, enough to melt of my makeup if I stayed outside for too long.. But luckily the line to get into the club wasn't nearly as long as I'd thought it would've been. Travis was busy playing Ballz as we marched into the building.

Red light dominated the building, which was decorated with every Halloween decoration known to man. I knew I was in heaven, but Travis didn't care for that stuff. Music played so loudly, I had to internally yell to hear my own thoughts. Travis didn't seem to mind the ear splitting volume and the fact that I was clutching onto his hand like he'd float away. It took a few minutes for my vision to adjust to the hazy light. As Travis and I walked to the bar, I began to calm down. Caleb Baker parties were always overwhelming for a sane person.

A full bar dominated the back wall of the huge 3-in-1 room, and I made a mental note to steer clear of anything alcoholic -I always drove home after parties like these so Travis could drink to his heart's content- as well as the huge punch bowl on the refreshment table. A small stage had been set up for the DJ, who had a mosh pit of people dancing on a checkered dance floor. Even more Halloween decorations decorated the dance area, every thirty feet it seemed like there was a plastic witch cauldron. Pillars were swathed in spider web chiffon.

"Duuuuude!" Travis called once he found Caleb, who was chugging a beer with an arm around his girlfriend. She smiled and cozied right up to Travis.

Caleb finished his can of booze and set it on the table, "Duuuuude."

Travis waved over the bartender and asked for a shot of straight vodka. Idiot. He drained the glass in one swig, laughed as he reacted to the strong drink, and asked for another. "How was the game?"

"Crushed it, like I always do," Caleb grinned. Out of the blue, he jerked to attention and threw his arms around me. "Nooooora, hey! Are you having, like, fun? Travis being a lil' dick yet?"

I laughed dryly while I waved off Caleb's comment. He was a nice guy when he was sober, but I liked to avoid him when he go drunk. Travis snatched my hand again. "Oh no, he's the best, I've got no idea why you'd say that," I teased.

"Bottoms' up," Travis said casually, draining another glass of Vodka. Caleb had gotten another can of Bud Light.

Once again, Caleb took a long swig of beer. His girlfriend began to giggle. I wondered just how drunk she was. I'd never seen her before, come to think about it. She smiled at me. Caleb slurred something about knowing where to find him if Travis ever started treating me wrong.

"You'd tell me if I was acting like a jerk, right?" Asked Travis, he set his shot glass on the counter. If he kept this whole vodka act up, he'd be drunk before the hour was up. For a moment, I swore he looked genuinely concerned that he wasn't a nice guy.

I kissed his cheek, "You'd never act that way though. I'm worried though that you might get alcohol poisoning tonight."

"Think so?" He wasn't focused on the probability that he'd consume too much alcohol.

"Oh darling, I know so," I insisted. Then I poked his side, "But I'm telling you right now to avoid too much booze, don't be blaming me for your hangover."

A few more drunk frat boys spotted Travis and started rushing towards him with excited shouts. I stepped out of the way to avoid getting trampled by a herd of these boys shouting about the volleyball game. Travis laughed at something somebody said. Despite the space I'd given them, I still had to avoid getting squashed as they began to freak out about the foosball table.

"I'll text you!" Travis promised as his friends violently dragged him off to find the foosball table.

I shrugged him off, and instead began to marvel at the building's interior and the various comicon worthy costumes... As Caleb and his girlfriend had begun smacking lips against the bar. The large crowd made me lonely. So, instead of waiting for somebody to talk to frumpy old me, I shuffled through the venue. Everything inside was sleek and modern, definitely one of the trendiest venues in Phoenix. The DJ shuffled through somebody's spotify playlist, picking as many Post Malone songs as he could much to my personal chagrin. The speakers were blasting and everyone was jamming out in a Halloween themed mob, and sure enough, I looked more like a stick-in-the-mud than cute in my longer dress compared to Lily Nicholls' short bodycon dress.

I wandered to the refreshment table and, wary of the potential narcotic laced brownie, picked out a frosted cookie from an untouched store-bought package. There were far more interesting things to look at than stare longingly at the mosh pit and wish I was outgoing enough to join.

"I've decided I don't like these kinds of parties. Too many sweating bodies."

Beside me stood a man in the most extravagant costume I'd ever seen. He had four arms sticking out of his body, and his skin was pale blue. Aside from the impressive four arms, the blue man wore an impressive pair of embroidered harem pants as well as some kind of Bollywood costume jewelry.I tried not to gawk in awe, "Your costume... It's amazing!"

The man crossed a pair of his arms, I assumed the other ones were prosthetics, "You like it? I am the god Vishnu."

"Never heard of him, is that something from a video game? So much cooler than the 57 witch costumes I've seen."

"Close, in a way. Vishnu is a god from Hindu mythology, sometimes he tells the future to passing souls," The man continued with a smirk. "I never understood the point of witches. I don't believe they ever existed in the way we think they did. I believe they were just people who... Fell out of favor?"

"Are you taking that new Occult class?" I arched an eyebrow, genuinely interested.

The blue guy chuckled, and shook his head, "Just a lover of history. I'm fascinated by the treatment those we call rejects receive."

"You talk funny."

"I could say the same to you."

I frowned, and rather than say something stupid, glanced back at Travis, who was on another beer. "I'm Nora Oakes by the way, I'm an engineering major as ASU."

"Engineering? I wouldn't have expected that. Have you got a job interning anywhere?" The blue guy asked, strangely, he didn't tell me his name.

I shook my head. I dreamed of working for Boeing, a company that built helicopters, somewhere at their European locations, or even Airbus, but I hadn't had any luck with my applications. None of my emails had been returned, and nobody called me back for an interview. "Haven't been that lucky, I've designed some water pipeline systems for a town in Haiti though. Maybe I'll get a job in the near future."

He stroked his beard with one of his actual hands, "There's an international company called Rajaram Industries, have you sent an application in for them?"

The cookie I was holding was getting a little mushy, so I took another bite from it. The blue man continued to gaze at the Halloween themed posters across from us, squinting at the images as if they held a secret message in gibberish. I'd always thought that Rajaram Industries would never take a little Arizona girl like me. But then again, I did have hopes to get a job with Boeing. "I haven't applied, but I've heard about the company. My professors gush about all of the things they've done for people in need, like building wells and such out of recyclable items. I thought the company didn't hire college kids as interns, let alone a white girl from the USA."

"And who told you that?"

"I kinda just inferred that, but the New York Times debunked the company a few years ago."

"Miss Oakes, you don't really believe everything the media tells you, now do you?"

I frowned, "Well.. No, but I've just never met anyone from the southwest that's worked for Rajaram Industries."

The blue man shut his eyes, and then he laughed at me. "That's because you're a college student, you're still young. Plenty of people from all over the world work for Rajaram Industries in several different branches. The company's so large with programs ranging from little cellphone apps to water wells and even special planes to allow easy access to rural jungle places. Speaking of a Rajaram Industries app, give me a moment while I feed my internet cats."

Internet cats? This guy and I would get along great. I asked him about the app, and in turn he showed me the little game. It was nice and simple, you tapped on your smartphone screen to set out a bowl of either cheap, moderate, or expensive cat kibble and attracted many cats. Then you waited to see which ones stayed, and then you adopted them and took care of them. The blue man's only cat was a large cartoon drawn solid black tiger. I used some of my precious cellular data to download the app as well.

"It's been nice meeting you Nora, but my ride said they'd be leaving by eleven, and I'd rather not walk alone in Phoenix," the blue man chuckled. He held out a hand to shake.

I shook his hand, "Nice meeting you t-"

My knuckles began to dry out as I registered how freezing cold the blue man's hand was. Suddenly, the music stopped completely, as did the mosh pit, everyone dancing was frozen in the midst of doing the macarena. Across the room, Caleb was leaning down to kiss his girlfriend, both were utterly still. Travis held a beer in his hand... And the blue man's eyes had taken a green shimmer. Mist poured out of his mouth.

Did somebody put pot in the cookies?

"You will be faced with difficult choices, and you must have faith in yourself," the man said calmly, his other two arms clasping behind his back. "When there seems to be no other options in sight, you shall have the strength to do that which is right, Nora. Have the courage to trust in those around you."

Yeah. I had to be high.

As soon as the world around me froze, everything roared back to life. Post Malone finally stopped playing, somebody had put on a song by Lana Del Ray, one of my favorite artists... But Lana singing about summertime sadness didn't phase me as I began to push through the crowd. Two seconds ago, the club had reeked of alcohol, but now it was filled with a sweet scent, much like fresh flowers. I began to panic, I'd never done drugs before, what had just happened? I forced myself to breathe steadily as I made my way over to Travis at the bar, trying to think of what I'd seen.

The room swayed, my head throbbed. Everything was so loud. Too loud.

"Nora, you look stressed!" Travis slurred loudly, stumbling over to me. He nuzzled my neck, "Youloooook great."

"I wanna go home," I whined, hoping that would be enough for him to take me home.

"Try one of these brownies," Caleb said, beckoning to a plate of... something. I shook my head.

Amidst everyone at the party, I realized something. I realized just how alone I was, nobody really understood me, and right now it seemed like not even Travis knew just who I was.

But then, somebody new guided me to the stools by the bar, "You alright goldilocks?"

"I think I, uh, ate a pot cookie?" I muttered in confession. "I want to go home, this just isn't fun anymore."

"Oh come on kid, you gotta at least tell me where you got the pot cookies from so I can get rid of them," Wes Hatch said, the nice texan who'd spent so much time scuba diving off the coast of India that he'd decided to double major in underwater archaeology and plain archaeology to uncover the hidden secrets of hidden lands. Or at least that's what I remembered from when we'd first met over a false pen heist a year ago.

I started rubbing my eyes, smudging my makeup in the process, "I only touched the orange sugar cookies, the Walmart one. I've never eaten a pot cookie before! This is bad! What's gonna happen to me?!"

Dramatically, Wes held my head in his two hands and inspected every inch of my face. His silence only frightened me that I'd definitely gotten myself into a pickle.

"You are definitely," He paused. "Not in any danger of any narcotic. I brought those cookies last minute."

"Oh."

"Why'd you think you were chasing the stoner experience?"

"Well... I saw a man, and he told me my fortune. His eyes glowed too, also I forgot to mention that his skin was blue."

Wes scratched his chin. He'd dressed up like a scarecrow from what I could tell. The stool beside me creaked as he sat next to me, "Did he have four arms?"

I nodded, "Yeah! I know I must sound crazy, but I swear I saw something!"

"You gotta promise me one thing," Wes said, suddenly serious. I nodded, he certainly had my attention. Wes sighed, "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Wait... What? Why not? Shouldn't more people know about this? What if that guy's a serial killer or something?"

A group of boys the next room over began to yell excitedly, I caught a glimpse of Travis laughing about something. He held a red solo cup; liquid had stained his shirt. There was no way he'd be sober enough to drive himself home and he probably wanted to stay at Caleb's stifling party longer than I did.

"Listen, just don't tell anyone," Wes stood up, and motioned for me to do the same. "Just drive home, and go to sleep. Meet me at the library Monday for lunch."

"What about Travis?" I asked, drying my sweaty palms on my long chiffon skirt. I didn't want to go home and sleep, I wanted to know more about the blue man who'd frozen my hand.

"He'll be fine, you don't need to wait for him, he's got his posse," Expertly, Wes snaked through the boisterous crowd, tugging me along by my elbow.

It was only when I could see the glass doors that the urge for fresh air began to constrict my skin. There was no way I could live the life of a party girl. This wasn't who I was, or at least I thought it wasn't who I was. The warm desert air was far different from the hot and sweaty fog in the venue. The Halloween decorations still smiled at me, and Wes finally let go of his grip on my arm. He walked me to the car.

"Get some rest goldilocks," Wes said. I barely had the time to thank him before he spun around on his heels and walked right back to Caleb's party.

As I sat in the car, I slowly tried to piece together the possibilities of Wes's strange attitude and the blue man who'd spoken to me. People didn't pay attention to me, not since high school at least. It must have been a misunderstanding, maybe the blue man had thought I was somebody else.

I shook my head, and for once put my music on the aux cord. The prius purred to life. While Travis' car wasn't my dream vehicle, a car was a car and I couldn't complain. The car lights reflected in the eyes of what was probably a stray cat. I pulled out carefully, my mind swimming with muddled thoughts.

The stray cat eyes watched me as I slowly drove away from Caleb's party, but they weren't normal cat eyes.

These eyes were far more golden as they reflected the car's headlights.

And they were gone as soon as they had appeared.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 **As of now, I've read Tiger's Dream... The ending messed me up, and as such will influence later chapters to a degree. Unfortunately for you Kishan/anam*ka fans, my stance hasnt changed on them. oops. Anyways, leave a review, they always help!**

 **annbe11: Thank you so much for the comment! I hope you can forgive me for the cliché matchmaker move, I'm a sucker for clichés. Yikes. Anyways, I hope you stay tuned for later chapters because there will be many more Kishan related adventures in a way... Sorry.. Cant give you spoilers yet ;)**

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Hidden deep within the jungles of India stood a dazzling mansion of white. Inside the rooms were full of beauty, and more recently, several artifacts with great significance to several mythological beings. Nilima Kadam, the CEO, of Rajaram Industries, sat at a table in the mansion's peacock library studying what appeared to be a mixture of blueprints, applications for the private project Nilima was funding, as well as a scramble of sanskrit words.

Outside the luxurious sanctuary, a storm was brewing. The wind blew strong enough to whine in the night. Nilima glanced at the open window which had become more of a nuisance than a nice form of air conditioning. As she stood up, some of the papers blew away. Nilima frowned as the window finally shut and she had the chance to collect the papers, but not before they blew over and covered the most recent artifact that had been recovered: an obsidian tiger with two glittering ruby eyes.

Nilima frowned at the artifact, and returned to the couch. A clap of thunder erupted in the sky, shaking the mighty house down to its roots. The lights flickered on and off for several seconds before they plunged the peacock room into complete darkness. Red light, however, illuminated the room.

Red light. Red light from my eyes.

Had the peacock library been lit by electric lights and not the glittering red eyes of a beast like me, the room would've been like a miniature paradise. All around were decorations of false gold and gems, as well as books, and even a golden resting on the wall not far from Nilima's makeshift desk.

All at once the obsidian encasing me cracked into a feathery impersonation of my once magnificent fur coat. I wasn't alive, only stone and jewels. The floor was foreign to my paws as I stepped down from the pedestal I'd sat on. Nilima remained completely still as she began to study me.

"There is nothing for you here," She said confidently. "What you seek has yet to be found."

What was it that I sought? Nothing in my head had been truly what I felt for centuries, I'd been trapped in stone for so long. Nilima made a compelling argument, it was enough to convince me that I didn't need to devour her for an evening meal. I sat down facing her, the room still only lit by my luminescent ruby eyes.

My action visibly allowed her to relax. Nilima sighed, "I cannot say your name, it carries too much danger. What will happen if I say it is a mystery, I can't risk destruction for your freedom. Bu just know," She held out a hand to me, but I continued staring at her instead. "We will free you, once and for all."

Free me? Free me from what? I liked being this way, powerful and cold. Nothing could hurt me now. Nilima's words no longer motivated me to continue to starve while she sat there talking, I crouched down against the lush carpet, preparing to pounce on her. Her eyes widened, and I shot off towards her with outstretched claws as she opened her mouth to do something, anything to save herself.

I could almost feel the satisfying crunch of human bones in my mouth, but I was met only by getting my head trapped in the couch Nilima had been sitting on seconds ago. In my rush to attack, she'd rolled away from me. With my head stuck in the couch, I couldn't see anything she was up to. Furiously, I shook my head until I was no longer trapped in the couch. Nilima had turned the lights on, and the golden spear was missing.

The slight clicking my stone fur made as I shifted distracted me from listening for Nilima, who had no doubt either ran away, or was hiding in an attempt to attack me with the golden spear. My theory was soon answered when nilima burst from behind the bookshelf, shouting an incantation. I growled, and prepared to meet her. I managed to claw the skin on her exposed neck and shoulders but the wound was unfortunately not fatal... But the wound she'd given me would have been enough to stop a living tiger.

The spear had gone through the front of my chest, but what was a mortal wound to a beast like me? I growled again, prepared to end Nilima before she could try to be a hero again. She let go of the spear and walked away, unafraid of me.

Now faint blue light was flooding the room from the spear. The floor beneath my feet felt as if it had all but vanished, but when I looked down, it was my feet that had vanished. The rest of me was slowly disappearing as well. I roared in frustration. I hated losing.

"I'm working as fast as I can," Nilima insisted as I began to feel less and less of the world around me. "It will all be worth it in the end."

The peacock room vanished from sight, leaving me in an empty void filled with nothing but solid darkness.

There were only a few things I hated more than losing. One of those things was Lord Shiva, the Destroyer and one of the most powerful gods, and another thing is being utterly alone. I'd spent so long with no one that the prospect of solitude frightened me more than any threat Lord Shiva could ever make against me.

I tried running forwards, but with nothing to gain traction on, I only remained in the same place. I tried to swim, but there was no success in moving. The void I was trapped in was cold. Absolutely nothing was there save for the black void surrounding me. Was I truly dead? Had a powerless human defeated me where so many all-powerful gods and goddesses could not?

A tiny light in the darkness far from me appeared. The unpleasant sound of something being sucked into a drain filled the void, which at first seemed as if it had done nothing but cause me pain. In frustration, I swished my obsidian tail, accidentally sending myself spiraling to the right. Righting myself took several tries, but in what felt like minutes, I'd become a professional at twirling. Professional enough to give Russian figure skaters a run for their money.

Timindly, I attempted a swimming motion once again, and found that the small motion still sent me far closer to the small little light than where I'd been before. I continued swimming through the void until the light was close enough that I could see that it wasn't just any light, this light belonged to a four armed man... With blue skin.

And horrible parachute pants.

"Old friend," Vishnu boomed through the void, I could have recognized that voice anywhere.

'Everyone has forgotten me,' I mumbled deep within the crevices of my mind. I still couldn't speak like a normal man in my stone body. 'Why am I here? It would be better for me to fade into nothingness.'

Vishnu began to approach me. All about him, the void flickered, he nodded at me, "And allow Miss Nilima to face such disappointment after working so hard to find out about what happened to you? Am I not your friend? I have missed your presence in Kailasa, it has become nothing more than a circus up there."

He knew how much of a sore subject Kailasa was to me, 'I don't want any part of any city led by my fellow Devas. They are only names, they do nothing.'

"They do everything, those who care, that is."

'And you care?'

"I care very much, and that is why I've come with a boon to offer. But first, I'm sincerely sorry that Nilima had to stab you with Vel the spear to get you into my presence. I have trouble being in two places at once," Vishnu explained.

Ah, that explained it. Weapons with names always had special properties. Vel was a divine spear granted to Ahsoka Sundari, one of Durga's daughters... With Shiva, nothing less. The spear had the ability to temporarily force a being into a state of nothing and everything, a state between existing and not existing. It was one of the only places where one could speak to another without anything being found out.

'Don't be sorry, I was going to make that girl my dinner, which would have likely ruined something in the process,' I dipped my head in respect, my stone fur once again clicking against each other.

"I promise to make up for it," Vishnu cracked a teasing smile. "Our time is diminishing, and as I said before, I have a boon for you. There is something special about you tiger. The Devas we know have other names, powerless names as everyone knows what those names are. But oh tiger, not you. You have two names. One of which I know, and the other you have hidden against all odds. Where the love of your life has withered away, you have not as you hid your true name. I will tell you you the name I know in exchange for one of the many things I wish for in the secret heart of my heart.

"Years ago, you weren't the only one to fall out of favor. I don't expect you to remember her, but I could never forget her. Of all the devas, male or female, Lakshmi was the kindest. She brought fortune to those who asked in many different forms and listened to all who simply needed someone to listen, she spoke of the future to those in dark places. These gentle actions led me to adopt many of her habits to fill just a part of the goodness she brought to Kailasa. Her kindness became her downfall, we spoke of things we should have discussed in secret, and she was cast aside by her fellow Devas to wander earth labelled as a madwoman. Should I visit her, Shiva has sworn that she will face far worse punishment. No god should speak to the disgraced. I come asking you to find Lakshmi, and tell her how much I love her. Tell her I promise Kailasa will become clean from corruption again. Do you accept?"

'You risk speaking to me, a disgrace, but not to Lakshmi,' I did remember her. She was odd, even as an immortal. '... I accept your boon, Preserver.'

All around me the void began to shimmer similar to the way the air wavered during a mirage. I began to hear muffled noises, one such quiet noise was the deep thudding of some kind of drum. The glimmer of orange little lights caught my attention. A cement sidewalk came racing towards Vishnu and I. There was no jarring impact as my stone feet clattered against the ground. I was in a place unlike any I was truly familiar. The air was unbearable dry and hot, the night sky was dull thanks to surrounding city lights. A large club stood several feet away flanked by many elegant homes. Where was I?

"There is someone else I must speak to now, several others. For if you hope to be reunited with the man you once were, you must first discover your true name. Old friend, I bestow upon you your name, take this gift and rise above your inner desires," Vishnu said. He was disappearing slowly. "Damon Anirbana. Have patience. Be kind. You will sacrifice much."

'Preserver! Vishnu! Wait' I cried out, my paws slipping on the concrete as I tried to lurch forwards. I fell forwards, pebbles became embedded in my palms. My secret wish was granted... I was human again.

"I'm lost! Who am I? What was I?" I cried out, the sound of my own voice shocking me. My old friend was nowhere in sight. He'd left me alone in a place I didn't know with but one gift: my name.

I forced myself to step forwards, but once again I found that I'd changed back into a stone statue. Each transformation was unstable. One moment I was a man sweating in the desert air, and the next I was a stone figure struggling to get a grip on the sidewalk. The process was draining. Eventually I gave up, and forced myself to remain a tiger. Every solid muscle in my stone body clenched while my body heaved in an attempt to vomit due to the searing pressure bearing down on me.

To add to the pressure, my eyes began to sting, and the stinging pain continued to grow until I was certain that my gemstone eyes were melting out of their sockets. No matter how hard I tried to scratch out the fiery gems, they remained there until I couldn't see anything at all. Then my sight returned bit by bit. I'd only ever heard of what happened when one was told their name after it was taken, but nobody ever knew what truly occured. It seemed that I'd received a new pair of eyes thanks to Vishnu giving back my name.

As I sat on the sidewalk more aware than before, I began to ponder about the process of taking a name. A name had to be given, and when it was given, whoever had been given the name held that person in their power... And could use that to their advantage. In my case, whomever had had my name before had forbidden me from remembering it. Damon.

My name was Damon, I'd escaped from Naraka, a hell which nobody could leave. I couldn't remember who or what I was before I became Durga's mount. Perhaps those memories would come in time once I learned my own name.

A car turned on, succeeding in distracting me from my thoughts. The vehicle began to drive away, and as it passed me, I stared at the car driver unashamedly. A woman with strange makeup glanced back for a second while I gazed back. And then she was gone.

'I've got to do something about this,' I thought to myself after I'd sat in silence for several long moments. When I stepped forwards, I once again forcefully became a man. There was no way of knowing how long I'd be able to stay that way. I doubted many people could speak and understand tiger. 'Find out where you are first.'

I began to slowly walk in the direction from where the woman had driven from. Not far from where she'd parked, a large building sporting cheap decorations stood tall. Red lights streamed from the windows. I recognized the heavy drum beat that had been present in the black void, the sound was coming from the building. People were slowly staggering from the doors, one even threw up into a copse of small trees. The behavior became more and more embarrassing the closer I got to the building.

I approached the large building, passing many more strange yard ornaments, and even more young adults passed out in the grass. Several had tiny sleek boxes in their pockets. A chord stuck inside me, and a vague memory of somebody using those small boxes to communicate crossed my mind. I crouched by the nearest unconscious young man, and took the black box from his pocket.

Nothing happened when I picked up the box. I tried pushing any button I could find. Two of them caused the front of the box to lighten up, but none of them gave me access to anything I could communicate with. I wasn't sure who I'd try to contact if I even got the device to work. That reasoning influenced me to stop trying.

"That's stealing, y'know," said somebody unfamiliar. The voice belonged to a muscular young blonde man sipping at a bottle of water. "Just ask somebody for help."

I coughed, "I don't need help."

"You sure? 'Cause it looked like you needed help opening up that phone," the man said, arching an eyebrow at me.

"I don't need anybody's help," I insisted, standing up. "Good evening to you sir."

Deep in my heart, something twinged. Had I seen this person before? Probably not. Maybe that was my body telling me that I was about to turn into stone. Either way, I knew that approaching the large house had been a huge mistake. I turned away from the young man and began to walk away from him.

"Hey! You-" The man began...

But as I turned to face him, my stone paws hit the ground again. The young man's eyes widened. He cursed loudly, and began ushering me away from the house.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but I've dealt with beings like you, and most of the time they're smart enough to stay away from populated areas," the man hissed at me as he tried his best to push me back down the pathway. He seemed to have a better grasp at what was going on than I did. "First, I've got a friend claiming she saw Lord Vishnu tell her some crap, and now I've got a man changing into a statue. Let's. Go."

Vishnu? This man had a very good grasp on what was happening. As he shoved me forwards, I began to walk on my own. He tripped when he discovered that he no longer needed to push me. Casually, he recovered from the stumble, and hurried down the steps. Under his breath he complained about always having to clean up the messes gods made.

The large house passed out of sight as the man hurried to his vehicle. It was only when we were out of the house's view and near his truck that he began to speak to me again. "I don't know who or what you are, but I promise we're gonna figure that out so long as you don't eat me, and trust me, I can handle a flesh eating demon. Get in the back of the truck and lay low. If you try any funny business, I want you to know that I've got ties, kitty cat."

The man waited until I'd jumped into the back of his car before he started his truck and began to drive away from the large house. He'd been smart to keep his name to himself, otherwise I would've tried to have used it against him. The night wind whistled past my stiff fur. I wondered what it would have felt like on my human skin.

It wouldn't be long until I was freed from this obsidian state.

It wouldn't be long until I discovered what my true name was.


	4. Chapter 3

Monday came quickly, and I didn't bother to hide my excitement. When Travis came home from Caleb's party thanks to a ride from Caleb's girlfriend nearly 18 hours later, he wasn't happy. He showed his anger over my ditching him by vomiting all over the bathroom floor, and then falling asleep on our nice clean bed still in his rancid clothes. Cleaning his mess up made my stomach churn with a wide variety of emotions. Mostly regret though, because I should have waited for him.

The next two days were strenuous. I didn't tell him when I put in an application for Rajaram Industries, Oregon. We argued Sunday night, and I slept on the floor. When my alarm rang early Monday Morning, I practically jumped out of my

I was glad I had an excuse to get out of the apartment, I wasn't sure if I was able to be patient with Travis for much longer. My first class usually started at 9 AM, but just as I'd finished plastering on my full face of contoured makeup, my professor had sent out an email telling us to study on our own because his kid had the flu. Travis scowled in his sleep. No doubt he was dreaming up ways to argue with me over something trivial. I snagged the cutest jumpsuit I could find (complete with a color coordinating purse), finished dressing and doing my hair, and stomped outside our apartment to wait for the bus to take me to campus. There was no way I was going to stay in the apartment when Travis was pretending he was one of the brats from Toddlers and Tiaras.

Outside, the weather was still unbearably hot despite the slightly overcast sky. One of the other apartment complexes was in the process of preparing for Christmas, already a cactus was covered in Christmas lights. Somebody had a light covered deer perched by the sidewalk. Tempe was meticulously clean and organized.

The bus came to a stop a few yards away from me. I boarded and selected a window seat close to the front. With my earbuds in blasting Ingrid Michaelson, I let my mind drift in any direction that seemed appealing. My thoughts soon began to focus on my family. I missed them, but I was far too stubborn to move away from Travis and reconcile with my parents. Soon it was clear to me that I really didn't like thinking about my family. I skipped a song, and soon began listening to Marina and the Diamonds.

Acoustic music made me sympathetic.

I didn't like being sympathetic.

Ages later, the bus rolled to a stop just outside of ASU's campus library. I smiled at the bus driver, and he told me to smile more in a teasing tone. Smiling meant you were happy. It wasn't that I was upset or depressed... Just dissatisfied with life.

Hopefully, Wes had remembered about our plans for the library.

"Ah shoot," I muttered when I walked into the library, realizing that I'd forgotten to bring any kind of food. I doubted Wes really meant having lunch in the library, and I'd been so relieved to leave the apartment that I'd forgotten to get anything.

The library was about as similar to any other library complete with its own classic book smell. I loved the library and the unspoken rule that everyone was required to be as quiet as possible. Had I less library fees, I would have spent more time in the library than the apartment. Nobody could boss me around here, save for the librarian of course, and the wifi never died. I rejoiced when I walked into the nearly vacant building and found that hardly a soul was there.

The building was similar to a ghost town, save for me, the librarian, and a young man sleeping in a chair. A very attractive young man at that too. I turned to the librarian's counter, which caused the librarian- a middle aged woman with greying hair- to holed up a finger as she paused her youtube video.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her glasses perched on top of her head.

"Uh, yeah. Have you seen a guy come in? Tall, blonde? The epitome of a Californian beach boy?" I asked

"That him?" She gestured to Wes, who had rounded the corner carrying a staggeringly tall stack of books.

I thanked her, and rushed to offer any help to Wes. He gave me several heavy books to carry. "Geez Wes, what are you doing? A research paper?"

"Not a paper, just researching," He answered, setting his stack of books on the table near the lounging young man. Wes gestured for me to do the same. "Have a seat."

"I think we're invading that guy's space," I pointed out quietly.

Wes only chuckled, and nudged the young man awake, "This is a friend of mine from when I was teaching scuba diving in India. Nora, meet Damon. Damon meet Nora."

The most herculean man I'd ever seen in person was suddenly looking at me. In such a candid position, he belonged on a magazine cover, or in countless 'Guys' boards on Pinterest. His eyes seemed as if somebody had sprinkled stardust in a vat of liquid gold. I couldn't keep myself from looking at him.

"You're staring at me. Is there something in my teeth?" Damon said, flashing an award winning smile at me.

Everything about him screamed of beauty, from his mussled black hair, to his sunset skin, his caramel voice, and even his hands. You could tell a lot about somebody from their hands, I'd realized. Though his golden eyes perhaps drove me to forget what my name was. I mentally slapped myself into replying, "No. You're just, um, it's nice to meet you. Are you going to school here?"

Damon scoffed, "No, I've got... other duties. I needed a break, and Wes is going to help me through some difficult times in my life. He told me the two of you already had plans, hopefully I haven't intruded."

"Oh no, intrude any time you like," Thank the good Lord for prompting me to put on makeup.

Three more students walked into the library, Wes frowned. "Hate to break up what's sure to be a kindred friendship, but I've got some important stuff to discuss with both of you. Mostly just Nora's encounter with a blue man at a Halloween party, and I've also got something else to drop about my next expedition."

"Wait, what expedition?" I asked with a frown.

Awkwardly, Wes rubbed the back of his neck. Taking credit for the amazing things that he'd done was never one of his strong suits. He began to sort through the books we'd brought over, "I, uh, pulled some strings with a family I used to work with. I'm going to Nepal for a shadowing opportunity with another archaeologist. It's been kept on the down low to avoid major publicity, but a cave was found in the mountain with several passages, and I've got three weeks to shadow and help this guy find a mirror."

"A mirror? Is it safe to guess that this supposed cave is located near Mount Kailash?" Damon leaned forwards, completely engaged in the subject. I labeled him as perhaps somebody who was merely excited about mountains. Some people were like that.

"It's actually in Mount Kailash. Several relics have already been found," Wes said, successfully finishing with the pile of books he'd sifted through. He pushed a pile towards me, "Nora, would you mind checking out these books?"

"Sure," I nodded, finally looking at the books' spines. Each one was focused on Hindu mythology. "Why do you need these?"

"That's gonna bring us to our next conversation, which should be discussed somewhere a little more private."

"Um, what?" I blurted, following Damon and Wes to the checkout counter.

"You're going to learn several things many other people label as fantasy," Damon answered patiently. "I just pray that I don't have to deal with another chosen one."

"Chosen one? Is this a Dungeons and Dragons kind of thing?" Wes avoided my gaze as I tried to get an answer out of him. "I'm so confused."

"Student I.D. please," the librarian droned as she held out a hand for my I.D. I fished it out of my purse, wondering if she was listening to her conversation. Embarrassment soon flustered through me at that thought. "You have two weeks with the books. No damages like last time, Miss Nora."

I was stunned that she remembered the book incident. During my second semester of school, I'd taken on a geological class to widen my major, and in my carelessness, left the book in a pit where it was subsequently buried. Needless to say, I tried to avoid checking out books as much as possible. "I promise, I'm still so sorry about that."

"Next," The librarian waved me off.

Damon had arched an eyebrow at the exchange. At least not everyone knew me as the book murderer. I flushed an even deeper shade of red, and pushed past Wes and Damon. The temperature had begun to rise drastically.

"Grass patch 3 o'clock," Wes directed from behind me, steering Damon and I towards a barely living patch of grass beside a palo verde tree. I sat on the grass, waiting for Damon and Wes to sit beside me.

"Now is as good as ever to demonstrate the abilities I have," Damon said with an innocent shrug.

"Go ahead," grunted Wes.

From inside his leather jacket pocket, Damon withdrew a small bandana. I couldn't believe my eyes when it began to shimmer... And then grow into a lovely pink blanket decorated with little elephants. Damon held out the blanket for show before he set it down. "It may be more comfortable to sit on the blanket rather than on the grass."

This was some level of new magic trick I'd never seen before, it just had to be. I sat on the blanket, still balancing the books, and laughed, "So you're a street performer? That's awesome. Can you pull a rabbit from your pocket too?"

"I could, in a way. But I much prefer tigers over any other animal," Damon smirked as he pocketed the shimmering bandana. He then withdrew a tiny stuffed tiger with embroidered eyes. I took the tiger, frowning as I inspected it.

"This is a whole new level of weird," I muttered. Wes finally sat down on the pink blanket a little ways away from me. "I mean, this guy starts pulling stuffed animals and blankets from his pockets, and Wews over here isn't the least bit impressed."

"You're taking this really well," Damon nodded at me. He remained standing. His comment drew a scoff out of Wes.

"That's only 'cause she thinks what you're doing is some kind of magician's trick. If you had the Golden Fruit, things would be different, but nooooo the only thing you managed to bring with you was a scarf."

"Next time you're banished to an otherworldly hell last minute, you try to pack a travel bag."

"Sounds like you've been cast into a hellish world with enough time to throw a bag together."

"Listen, have respect for your elders," Damon frowned at Wes, and then once again turned his attention to me. "We've tried to ease you into this, to allow you to come to this conclusion alone, but time is running out Nora. There's no time for comfort."

Somebody cruised past us on an electric scooter. For a second, Damon's concentration broke, and he watched the student ride by. The look in his golden eyes quietly screamed of longing. He ran a hand through his deliciously thick hair, once again returning his gaze to me. What was swimming behind those sparkling eyes?

Somewhere in the back of my mind I decided that I was going to pester this man with my presence until he left as quickly as he'd come.

"What did you say?" I blurted, realizing that I'd missed everything Damon had said to me. Wes snickered.

He frowned, "The man you met with blue skin is no ordinary man. He is a divine being in his own right, as am I."

Divine being. The ability to pull stuffed animals from thin air. A blue man with four arms telling me to have faith in myself while mist poured from his mouth. "Are you a wizard?"

Wes burst out laughing at me, "A wizard! Yer a wizard, Damon!"

"Close," Damon shrugged. "I'm far more powerful than any wizard. I'm in fact," he withdrew the bandana, and with it crafted a gold and silver friendship bracelet, which he slipped over my hand. "A god."

A god?! I'd only read of gods among mortals in books, there was no such thing. It just wasn't true, I refused to believe that it was true.

"You both need Jesus," I stood up so quickly, my vision fuzzed for a second. "This isn't funny Wes, I could've made plans with somebody else instead of looking stupid. Are there cameras filming my reaction? There better not be."

"Sit down, Nora," Damon's tone of voice wasn't stern, he was considerate. "I promise I'm telling the truth. Would you like me to prove things further to you?"

I nodded, but avoided looking at both Wes and Damon. Damon sat down as well. Once again, he withdrew a strange looking rock from his pocket. He took my hand, and set the stone in my palm, "This is a truth stone. So long as you hold it, you may know when somebody is lying."

"Sure, and how's that going to feel like?" I grumbled. "This really isn't funny anymore."

"You'll feel a sense of assurity in you heart," Damon explained... And sure enough, I began to feel a strange sensation I didn't feel often. Pure honesty. My heart felt like it had swollen. I didn't look at either man to give them the satisfaction that they were right...

And that everything I had ever believed in had the potential to be completely wrong.

"Tell me everything," I said suddenly, looking between both Wes and Damon. "Why are you talking to me? What's the real story? I've got this magic rock, I'll know if you're being dishonest."

"I should have asked for that back sooner," Damon teased. He sat back on his elbows. "If you truly want to know everything, we will be here a while. I'm far older than you and Wes combined."

"Why are you two talking to me? Why can't you keep this godly stuff to yourselves?"

Damon looked to Wes, who promptly answered, "If you hadn't have told me about your encounter with Vishnu, the blue man, you'd still be at home. That mirror I'm looking for holds the key to giving Damon his freedom back. I can't do the job alone, there's more than just finding the mirr-"

"Freedom? Freedom from what?" I interrupted, genuinely hoping to get back to the rest of Wes's answer.

"I haven't quite confirmed what believe yet, but I've been led to understand that Damon is not my true name, as I was once mortal like the two of you," Damon thoughtfully paused. "There is no joy in being a god. I once foolishly took a boon that stopped me from feeling pain, but in turn that led to my inability to feel joy."

I thanked him for his answer, and then prompted Wes to pick up right where he started much to his annoyance, "Where was I? Mirror, right? The mirror possesses amazing abilities, infinite abilities, but even if I can find it before my few weeks are up, there's no telling if I'd be able to dig through Damon's past quick enough to find his name. As he's said before, time is of the essence. There's more to this cause than we know, there's so many things that we're not going to know until we discover Damon's true name."

"So you want me... to help you... in Tibet..." I started slowly, trying to think of a way to rationalize what I had just been told. "There's not going to be any mythological creatures I have to fight, right? I'm not a chosen whatever? Just a helper? There's too much I have to do, and I won't put my education or my career on hold for anything."

However, I could hear Vishnu's words in my head, telling me to have the courage to trust others. The pressure from Damon's pleading eyes and Wes's already high expectations of me were already beginning to sway my resolve. But what would happen if my application to Rajaram Industries got accepted, but I would be unable to make the interview because I was in a cave in God knows where? The what ifs were too powerful, and despite the small plea in my heart, I set down the truth stone and realized that I didn't want to be a part of this.

"Nora, please," Damon pleaded.

"Look, I don't even know you, for all I know, this could all be some elaborate prank, I can't help you Wes. I just can't." I stood up, ignoring that Damon had grabbed my fingers in that classic Disney prince way.

His golden eyes captured my gaze once again, and I was sure that the little jerk knew it, "Please consider it. I'd owe you ten thousand times over."

"Goodbye Wes," there was no way I would set my mind to this. I didn't dare step out of line. "Damon."

I didn't look back in the fear that if I did, I would crumble, and consent to go with them to Tibet. Confrontation was something I hated more than anything in the world, whether it was for better or worse. I hated telling people no. I hated letting people down. Already I'd disappointed Travis, and now I had let down Wes and his supposed buddy turned god. These feelings only stewed in my mind as I waited at the bus stop to get a ride home. The bus driver told me he hoped I felt better when I left the vehicle and trudged to Travis's apartment.

Thankfully, we both made a great effort to avoid each other.

Hours later when I'd finally had the chance to curl up in my warm bed (alone), my phone buzzed with a notification from Gmail. My heart jumped to my throat the second I read who'd sent the email. Rajaram Industries had seen my application. I clenched my mouth shut as I opened up the email. A small grey circle indicated that it was loading...

And then the internet cut out.


End file.
